Features

Making BIM the Best Tool for Design

By Jared Banks, AIA | Shoegnome, LLC | www.shoegnome.com

When we talk about BIM, we typically focus on the benefits to production (faster, more complete, linked drawings), coordination (data exchange with consultants, sharing files in the cloud, helping the client visualize the design via 3D models on mobile devices), or integration (using BIM data on the job site, handing models off to contractors, extending the life of the models by using them for Facilities Management, or even using the data for fabrication).

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Small Projects - Big Risk

By Lindsey M. Pflugrath

Small projects with small fees can present substantial risk for the design professional.

This unfortunate reality seems counter-intuitive. Smaller projects often involve less risky design choices and fewer parties, and materials are of the commonly used and understood variety. Furthermore, the modest budget would not seem to support aggressive and lengthy litigation. Unfortunately, small projects generate a disproportionate share of expensive claims.

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Eagle Point Residence

Prentiss Architects, Inc. | Seattle, WA

Living in beauty, without excess. Fine materials and products were sparingly used to create a dwelling that sits lightly and unobtrusively in the landscape. The result of careful allocation of resources and rigorous design decisions is a solid, secure, energy-efficient example of living well without excess.

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The Portland Bench

Propel Studio | Portland, OR

Portland holds a unique place in today's society as a creative, innovative hub of city planning, sustainable architecture and design. The Portland Street Seats program is an example of ways Portland is working to increase livability and focus the urban environment on the human experience. Like the system of neighborhood parks that Portlanders flock to, parklettes can be the next wave of infrastructure to transform our city.

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The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice (AHPP), 15th Edition

For the first time and exclusively for AIA members: Get the chapters of The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th ed. Select chapters of your choice are sold individually and accessed electronically, costing only $19.95 while the full tome costs $225.

Authored by The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the chapters are the updated architecture profession's standard on practice issues. These indispensable resources cover all aspects of architectural practice, including legal, financial, marketing, management, and administrative issues. Content is significantly revised to reflect the changing nature of the business of architecture related to the impact of integrated practice.

Here are some chapters that may be of interest to you:

Chapter 5: Organizational Development: It has 12 articles that address concepts of firm development and administration along with four backgrounder essays. Includes two case studies.
5.1          Architects and the Law
5.2          Entrepreneurial Practice: Starting an Architecture Firm
5.3          Strategic Planning for the Design Firm
5.4          Firm Growth and Development: How to Build a Creative Culture
5.5          Leader Effectiveness
5.6          Ownership Transitions
5.7          Small-Firm Collaboration
5.8          Practicing in a Global Market
5.9          Developing and Managing Multiple-Office Firms
5.10        Office Administration
5.11        Knowledge Management
5.12        Information Management and Services

Chapter 7: Financial Management: It has four articles that address concepts of firm fiscal health and administration along with one backgrounder essay. Includes thirteen tables.
7.1          Navigating Economic Cycles
7.2          Financial Management Overview
7.3          Financial Management Systems
7.4          Developing Annual Budgets and Profit Planning

Small Project Award Recipients

We would once again like to recognize and congratulate the recipients of the 2014 AIA Small Project Awards.

Read more about the awards program and gain more insight into the projects»

Category 1: A small project construction, object, work of environmental art or architectural design element up to $150,000 in construction cost.

Fashion[ING] Objects
Austin, TX
Matt Fajkus Architecture, LLC

Pure Tension Pavilion
Milan, ITALY
Synthesis Design + Architecture

Starlight
New York, NY
Wendy Evans Joseph
Cooper Joseph Studio

Head in the Clouds Pavilion
New York, NY
Jason Klimoski AIA
StudioKCA

Category 2: A small project construction, up to $1,500,000 in construction cost.

Small House in Olive Grove
Geyserville, CA
Wendy Evans Joseph
Cooper Joseph Studio

Topo House
Blue Mounds, WI
Sebastian Schmaling
Johnsen Schmaling Architects

Ground, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Becton Center at Yale University
New Haven, CT
Carol Rusche Bentel
Bentel and Bentel Architects

Redaction House
Delafield, WI
Sebastian Schmaling
Johnsen Schmaling Architects

Category 3: A small project construction, object, work of environmental art, or architectural design under 5,000 SF

Fall House
Big Sur, CA
Fougeron Architecture

Flip House
San Francisco, CA
Anne Fougeron
Fougeron Architecture

AIA SPP Small Project Design Competition: The Pop-up Project Recipients

In this unique design competition, submitters were asked to re-imagine the standard farmer’s market canopy pop-up booth. The winning design will be displayed at the AIA 2014 National Convention in Chicago IL – June 26-28, 2014.

Learn more about the projects and read jury comments»

Award Type: Award Recipient
Project Name: G Model
Submitter Name: Bart Shaw
Description:
The solution is a simple stable structure that provides elegant protection for a Farmers' Market vendor. The structure provides a platform for custom printed fabric to be wrapped. When transported it serves as a handtruck, so goods and the canopy can be moved simultaneously.

Award Type: Honorable Mention
Project Name: Folding Farm II
Submitter Name: Jeffery Poss
Description:
Folding Farm II (FFII) is a “green” produce transport vehicle and a deployable farm stand. It represents the modification of Folding Farm I (FFI), a working prototype conceived in 2012 as a bicycle-powered delivery system and market display for locally grown and sold produce. The next generation FFII, currently in development, decreases the weight and cost of the first prototype.

Award Type: Honorable Mention
Project Name: Box It Up
Submitter Name: Robin Osler
Description:
As the project brief states, the first challenge most farmers face with portable canopies is that of weighing it down in the wind without the use of ground stakes. Although canopy manufacturers often provide sand bags to solve this problem, we started our design approach with the theory that these weights could be more functional than simple bags.

Award Type: Best Use of Innovative Technology
Project Name: NAKED
Submitter Name: Pragesh Khanna
Description:
Naked…. As I call it…..
To make the chaotic market place lighter visually and softer aesthetically, we tried to make the canopy disappear to give prime focus to the producers' harvest. Various philosophies (fidu,self dependency and openness) liquify together to make a transparent object visually appealing to the eye.

Call for Submissions

Articles
The AIA Small Project Practitioners Editor (SPP) requests articles of approximately 500–700 words for upcoming issues of the SPP Journal. Upcoming issues will address the theme, “Regionalism in a Global Age.” Articles and projects should address aspects of this theme.

Projects
We are also interested in publishing your small project, recently constructed or on the boards. This is an opportunity to share your work with other members of the AIA. Please provide images of your project along with a description, including the year completed, square footage, construction methods and any other details that make your project unique. We are especially interested in work that exhibits a strong regional character.

Details
Submit image(s) and a brief explanation of interesting architectural details for publication in upcoming issues. Details may be vernacular, modern, or historic: simple or elaborate, decorative or functional, universal or unique.
Submissions should include:

• 1-2 photographs of the detail that showcase its importance and composition
• A description of the detail including why it is important or interesting
• Name of the project, the architect (if known), date (if known), location
• Name and affiliation of the submitter

• Details will be selected based on clarity, artistic composition, architectural expression, and relevance to the topics of the specific journal issue.

Images and Submission Guidelines
Please visit the Guidelines for Authors for more information about style and layout. Be sure to include graphics, drawings, or photographs that enhance your submission. We want to see behind-the-scenes construction photos, sketches, detail drawings and their transformation in the field. We even want cartoons!

The online version of the SPP Journal is set for color images. Please submit images of at least 150 DPI as separate .JPG files, and include image credits and caption information.

Submit all text as MS Word documents and include a two to three sentence biographical sketch of each author. Title your work, and include a signed copy of the AIA Copyright Permission form listing the article and all images. All submissions should be sent to cac.architect@comcast.net.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Upcoming Events

AIA SPP National Convention Events

Profitable Project Management for Small Projects
Wednesday, June 25 | 1:00 PM -5:00 PM | Fee: $175 | Earn 3.75 LUs

Even in the Windy City, not every architect designs skyscrapers. Most firms design at least some small projects, which fall into a range of building types. This workshop will provide tools and strategies to help firms of all sizes manage small projects profitably.

Small Firm Sustainable Strategies: Applying Sustainable Principles to Small Projects
Thursday, June 26 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Earn 1.50 AIA HSW LUs + GBCI + RIBA

Leading small firm design professionals will highlight key opportunities to implement strategies that not only have lower up front costs but also provide key environmental benefits, such as rainwater harvesting, innovative material use, appropriate siting strategies, and incentive programs that make being green possible for smaller projects.

Small Project Practitioners + Custom Residential Architects Network + Housing Knowledge Community Reception
Thursday, June 26 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Enjoy an evening with your peers in an intimate setting at a local venue. Join local and national architects, leaders, small firm owners, and AIA members with practices and interests ranging from small projects to custom residential design to affordable housing. The reception will provide opportunities for networking, collaboration, and sharing of best practice on an informal basis.

2014 AIA Small Project Design Awards: Designing Resourcefulness—Doing More with Less
Friday, June 27 | 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM | Earn 1.50 AIA LUs

This annual event draws attention to the frequently overlooked category of small and inexpensive projects. In spite of diminutive sizes and budgets, these recognized projects are elegantly designed, sustainable, and contextual. This year's Convention theme of Change: Culture, Community, Commitment, is addressed by publicly recognizing design leadership, and starting a discussion on what makes architects agents of change through design.